Concrete is a mixture of cement and various other materials. The cement and other materials are often mixed at a concrete plant and transported (e.g., with concrete mixer trucks) to a jobsite. Concrete used in certain applications (e.g., for buildings, footings, etc.) may have a strength, ductility, or other characteristic that is specified by a customer, engineer, or still another person. The amount and grade of cement impacts the strength and other characteristics of the concrete. While certain characteristics of the concrete (e.g., slump, etc.) may be tested by an inspector, other characteristics (e.g., composition) may be more difficult to determine by an inspector in the field thereby making it difficult for an inspector to verify that the delivered concrete satisfies the identified specifications.
Traditionally, a driver delivers paperwork that identifies the composition and other characteristics of the concrete load (e.g., the identity of the mixing plant, etc.). Tracking a particular load requires monitoring the paperwork supplied by the driver. However, an inspector may not be able to independently authenticate various characteristics of the cement or the concrete (e.g., composition). The location of a particular concrete load may also be difficult for an inspector to track. Such load tracking may be particularly relevant during subsequent inspection of a structure after initial construction (e.g., during routine surveying, to determine the ability of a structure to withstand a storm or explosion, etc.). Despite these shortcomings, inspectors traditionally rely on paperwork provided upon delivery of the concrete load for initial authentication and subsequent inspection.